Bipartisan plan gives reformed citizens access to better job opportunities

State Rep. Jack O’Malley today joined the Michigan House in approving a plan to expand Michigan’s expungement laws and give hundreds of thousands of residents with old criminal convictions a new opportunity to start fresh.

O’Malley said the innovative proposal, which he co-sponsored, will make Michigan a leader in criminal justice reform.

“Not only is this plan going to help struggling people improve their lives, it will strengthen our economy by making thousands of ex-offenders more employable at a time when businesses across Michigan are having trouble finding skilled workers,” O’Malley said. “It’s time to start giving people who have already taken accountability for their past mistakes an opportunity to start fresh.”

A University of Michigan Law School study published earlier this year found people whose criminal records are cleared tend to experience a sharp upturn in their wage and employment trajectories. On average, wages went up by 25 percent within two years of the expungement.

O’Malley said these results were observed under Michigan’s current expungement law, which is very narrow in scope. Right now, only individuals with one felony or two misdemeanors qualify, and they must wait a minimum of five years before they can start the process.

The plan O’Malley backs would:

·       Expand the number of people who qualify for expungement.

·       Require judges to expunge marijuana convictions if the behavior that led to the conviction is allowed under current law.

·       Make most traffic offenses eligible for expungement.

·       Shorten the eligibility period for expungement.

·       Establish automatic expungement for certain offenses.

House Bills 4980-4985 and 5120 now advance to the Senate for consideration.

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